Mergers and Acquisitions

by A. E. Radley

  While she was grateful he had interrupted their tense conversation, Kate was concerned about Yannis’s appearance. Yannis turning up out of the blue was a common event, but it was never a good thing. It usually indicated a total change of direction, or full-tilt annoyance with her team.

  As she approached her office door, she could see the man pacing anxiously in front of the window. Another indication that she wasn’t in for a good meeting.

  “Yannis, lovely of you to drop by,” she greeted warmly as she walked into the office. “Have you been offered tea, coffee?”

  “Yes, yes.” He waved his hand to bat away her offer. “I’m fine, thank you. Is Georgina—”

  “Yannis, good to see you,” Georgina said as she entered the office.

  “We need to bring forward our first advertising campaign,” Yannis cut to the chase. “Eight months is not soon enough, we need it sooner. Within the next three months.”

  Kate exchanged a look with Georgina.

  “That will be quite difficult. We have a lot of background work to do,” Kate admitted.

  “Investors are getting nervous, especially considering the… event,” Yannis explained.

  “You mean fireball,” Kate suggested. She wasn’t about to let Yannis forget that her staff member had been seriously injured in the incident. “I’m not surprised they are getting nervous.”

  “It was an accident, we know exactly what it was,” Yannis said. He pulled a corroded piece of metal out of his jacket pocket. “This was a spark plug supplied by a third party. The fault came from this, nothing to do with the Atrom engine.”

  “Presumably you’ve explained that to investors?” Kate asked.

  Yannis nodded and continued to pace. “But they are still asking questions, ridiculous questions. You know what they are like, I need to show them something substantial now. The car is being rebuilt, and without a car, they think we have nothing. That’s not the case, but they are too blind to see that. I need to show them something.”

  Kate looked to Georgina for assistance. They may be vying for the same contract, but surely even she would see the impossibility of what Yannis was asking.

  “We’d love to be able to do this for you, Yannis,” Georgina spoke up, “but it’s just impossible. We don’t have a logo, a tagline, a concept. Nothing at all. We’re still in the development stage, we have ideas, but nothing pinned down.”

  “But surely you can get something together. I’m not suggesting a full campaign, just something to wow the investors.”

  “I’d have to speak with my team, see what we can get together. In fact, Kate and I were just discussing this.”

  Georgina glanced at Kate, seeking approval to share their idea of splitting the proposals with Yannis. Kate inclined her head.

  “We think it would be best, for Atrom, for you,” Georgina explained, “to have two options to choose from. Mastery and Red Door can both work on proposals, separately. This gives you the insight of both—”

  Yannis stopped pacing and spun to face Georgina. “What do you mean, separately?”

  “Upon reflection, we feel that it would be very difficult to integrate the teams,” Kate said. “We think this is best for you. You get two proposal documents, and you choose which you want to go with. It will speed matters up considerably. If we have to integrate teams that don’t often work together, which of course we could, it would slow the process down.”

  Yannis’s eyes sparkled at the offer of a shorter timeframe. “I see. Yes, yes, that would be better.” He folded his arms across his chest and paced quickly in front of the window.

  “Excellent,” Georgina said, missing that Yannis was still deep in thought. Kate knew better. When Yannis was like this, it was best to let him talk himself out. “Then I will head back to New York soon, and we’ll be able to—”

  “No, no. I need you here,” he said to Georgina. “You can surely liaise with your team from here, at least for the meantime? I have told our investors that I am working with both of you. I can’t go back on that now, at least not until funding is secured. I am paying you for your full time, am I not?”

  Kate turned and looked at Georgina. She had to admit, she was enjoying watching Yannis tear a small strip off the woman. Even if it did mean that Georgina would be staying in her office for the time being.

  “You are, absolutely. But it would be normal procedure for me to work from my own office—”

  “But you said you’d be able to work remotely,” Yannis interrupted. “Didn’t you say that time and distance were not important in any modern business? It seems you are telling me the opposite now.”

  “I meant I would be able to work from New York and talk to Kate in London. I meant that a business in New York could easily work with a business in London.”

  “Then, surely, your being here instead of New York operates under the same principle?” Yannis asked.

  Kate regarded him. He was very agitated; the investor news must have come as quite a shock. She wondered how much of his own money was tied up in the project. If he had invested half the amount and the other investors dropped out, he’d lose everything he put in. It would be just like Yannis to throw a ton of money into a project, not considering the possibility of losing it until it was too late.

  “I suppose so,” Georgina agreed. “As long as Kate is willing to kindly host me here for a while longer?”

  Kate turned to Georgina and smiled as warmly as she could muster. “Of course, it’s lovely you have you here. The years of experience you bring are very welcome.” She couldn’t help but throw an age comment back in Georgina’s face.

  Georgina smirked. “Yes, I have been made to feel very welcome. Staying sounds appealing. I look forward to getting to know the team much better.”

  Kate felt a coldness creep up her spine. She again cursed herself for reacting the way she had to catching Sophie in Georgina’s office.

  Although she wasn’t entirely sure what she had walked in on, she knew she didn’t like it. Sophie was young, naive, and innocent. Georgina was none of those things. The very idea that Georgina might take advantage of Sophie was enough to make Kate’s blood boil.

  “So, that is all settled then?” Yannis asked impatiently. “You will be staying in London?”

  Georgina nodded. “Absolutely. Until this investor business is sorted out,” she turned to look Kate in the eye, “I’ll be right here.”

  Chapter 15

  Sophie walked through hospital corridors with her head hung low. Things were getting out of control at work, and things had gone completely to hell at home. When the work day had ended, she’d rushed from the office, wanting to escape. But the second she was in the busy London street, she realised she had nowhere she wanted to go.

  She hadn’t told her friends or family about her break-up with Matt yet. And she certainly didn’t want to go home. Before she knew it, she was texting Jonathan to tell him that she was on her way to visit him in the hospital. She’d promised she’d come and give him an update on the office gossip, she just didn’t think she’d be the subject of all of it.

  She paused as she approached his room. She took a deep breath before turning the corner and softly knocking on the open door.

  Jonathan looked up at her and smiled. He was looking better; the colour was returning to his face.

  “Hey, come in,” he said, gesturing to the chair beside the bed. “How are things going? I’ve not had any phone calls from you yet, so that must be a good sign?”

  She walked into the room and flopped heavily into the chair, letting out a loud sigh.

  “Maybe not such a good sign?” he guessed.

  “Everything has gone to hell,” she mumbled.

  “Did Kate fire you?”

  Sophie chuckled and shook her head. “No, not yet.” She kicked off her shoes, brought her feet up onto the chair, and hugged her knees. “I broke up with Matt.”

  “Your boyfriend?”

  “Sort of fiancé.”

 
“I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Sophie placed her chin on her knees and looked at Jonathan. She felt guilty, coming to him to cry about her problems when he was in the hospital. But she couldn’t stay at work. Seeing Georgina or Kate right now would send her into another crying fit. And going home would mean another fight.

  Jonathan was easy to talk to. He was an unbiased third party she could trust to give an honest opinion. He didn’t have any agenda, and he wouldn’t be judgemental like she knew her parents would. She hadn’t called her mum because she knew she’d sigh and sound disappointed.

  She just wanted to talk to someone. Someone smart, someone who seemed to have things figured out. Even if that person was forced to listen to her because they were confined to a hospital bed.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be complaining. You have it worse than I do.”

  Jonathan grinned. “Well, broken bones aren’t fun. But neither is breaking up with your boyfriend, or your sort of fiancé. How does that work anyway?”

  “It works when your girlfriend is an idiot,” she grumbled.

  “Hey, come on, you’re not an idiot.”

  “He’s been having an affair. But I didn’t see it, it took Georgina to see it.”

  Jonathan furrowed his brow. “Georgina? Okay, you need to explain this.”

  Sophie sighed. Telling Jonathan what had happened was one thing, actually explaining it was another. She didn’t really understand it all herself.

  “Georgina asked me out for drinks with her and Michael—”

  “Tell me you said no,” Jonathan interrupted.

  “I did, but only because I was busy.”

  “She’s just trying to pump you for information,” Jonathan told her seriously.

  Sophie shook her head. She hated the distrust floating around the office. She’d heard of office politics, but she’d never been so deeply entrenched in them. Why people couldn’t just get along and not constantly assume the other party had an agenda was beyond her.

  “Well, that doesn’t matter now. I didn’t go. And I mentioned Matt, told her I had to get back home to him. So, she asked me a couple of questions. She, she kinda highlighted some things. Asked questions I hadn’t been brave enough to ask myself.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like why we were engaged but no one knew. We’d never made an announcement, I thought it was because we were saving for a wedding. But it was just his way of appeasing me. Delaying things so he could find someone better.” Tears started to form in her eyes again. She angrily brushed them away with the palms of her hands.

  “You confronted him?” Jonathan asked.

  “Yeah, when I got home. I asked all the questions I’d been burying. I could see in his eyes that he was lying to me. He denied everything, but the more he said, the more he incriminated himself. I was so angry.” She swiped at her tears again.

  “Are you sure, though? I’m not defending him, just asking, especially as he denied it.”

  “I’m sure. He can’t lie to save his life. He told me what I needed to know in his eyes.” She recalled Matt’s expression when she had started to ask him questions. His eyes had flickered around the room as they always did when he lied. The more she pressed, the more ridiculous his stories and excuses became. Eventually he gave up answering, accused her of already having made up her mind.

  Jonathan regarded her sadly. “I’m sorry.”

  “Wait, it gets worse.” Sophie laughed bitterly. “The next day, this morning, I drop off some papers in Georgina’s office. I felt so stupid. I’m living with him, sharing a bed with him, and I saw nothing. But she saw it. Just a few questions, and she’d got him all figured out. I thought she’d see it on my face, like I’d seen it on Matt’s. So, I tried to hurry out of her office.”

  Jonathan practically winced at what he assumed came next. “How did that work out for you?”

  “She called me back in.” She closed her eyes in embarrassment. “I admitted everything, and I cried—oh, Jonathan, I cried like a baby in her office. She comforted me, and Kate walked in on us. She was livid.”

  “Kate was?” Jonathan questioned.

  “Yes.”

  “What did she say?”

  “I don’t know, I just ran away.”

  “Did she speak to you later?” he pressed.

  “A little, but only about work stuff. She was pretty short with me. Yannis showed up at the office. I don’t know what was said, but I had an email from Kate telling me to extend Georgina’s hotel booking indefinitely.”

  Working with Kate was difficult enough, but now Sophie had to deal with Kate’s anger about catching her and Georgina. Sophie had intended to explain to Kate that it was all perfectly innocent and that Georgina was just offering her comfort. But one look at Kate’s stormy expression had told her that the rationalisation wouldn’t be welcome.

  Jonathan cringed. “So, Georgina’s being made to stay in London. No one is going to like that.”

  “I know,” Sophie agreed. “I was kind of happy that Georgina was going home soon. She’s been really nice to me, but after I embarrassed myself in front of her, I don’t know how I’m going to look her in the eye again.”

  “Count yourself lucky that she’s being nice to you,” Jonathan told her. “Her reputation is for eating people alive. Unless…” He looked at her, and his eyes sparkled mischievously.

  Sophie frowned. “Unless what?”

  “Unless, you’re the new assistant.”

  Sophie knew what he meant. Her encyclopaedic knowledge of the marketing industry meant that she was well aware of Georgina Masters’ relationship with her young assistant.

  “No.” She shook her head. “No, no, Georgina doesn’t…” She laughed. “That’s ridiculous.”

  Jonathan shifted a little to push himself up higher in the bed. “No, it’s not. Think about it. Georgina has a reputation for being as mean as they come. But she’s comforting you while you cry in her office. If we’re to believe rumours, and we totally are, most people crying in Georgina’s office are crying because of her. And then are never seen again.”

  Sophie hugged her legs a little tighter. She knew it was true, but she wasn’t about to agree with him. The very idea was too much for her to take in right now.

  “And then there’s the fact that Georgina is newly single. Having been dumped by her girlfriend, who started off her relationship with Georgina while her assistant. Who happens to be not far from your age.”

  She called me beautiful, Sophie recalled. Oh, God… she called me beautiful and passionate.

  “And she invited you for drinks,” Jonathan added.

  Sophie glared at him. “You were just telling me that was because she was trying to get information from me. Now it’s, what? Because she wants to…” Sophie could feel her face flush at the thought.

  “Maybe,” Jonathan replied. He grinned. “Will you remember me when you’re living in some fancy New York penthouse with your millionaire girlfriend?”

  “Shut up,” Sophie told him forcefully.

  He blanched. “Sorry, I’m sorry, that was tactless. You’re straight, I get it.”

  Sophie sighed. Now she sounded homophobic. “I’m… I think I’m bisexual,” she admitted. She felt her cheeks heat in a blush.

  You think? Why did you say that? She’d never been sure she was one hundred percent straight. She could appreciate a beautiful woman when she saw one. Maybe more than appreciate. But she’d been with Matt for years, so it was never something she’d bothered to explore. But now, now it was all her mind could explore. Was she bisexual? It would answer a few questions, and she knew from recent experience how well she hid tricky questions from herself.

  He inclined his head. “I shouldn’t have joked about it anyway, I’m sorry. You have to go and work with her, and I know that’s not going to be easy.”

  “What am I going to do?” she implored.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I think you need to see what happens. I’m jus
t joking about Georgina. I’m sure she’s nicer in person, the rumours could be wrong. Or she’s softened.”

  “But what if she is flirting with me?” Sophie asked. Now the thought was in her mind, it wasn’t going to let go. The very idea of the almost-predatory Georgina flirting with her sent a shiver up her spine. Georgina was an attractive woman. Sophie would kill to have her looks, her figure, her hair. But Sophie wasn’t girlfriend material for such an impressive woman, if that was even what Georgina saw in her. Maybe Sophie was reading too much into it, maybe Georgina was simply being kind.

  And then there was Kate to consider. Dating the enemy would certainly put her in Kate’s bad books. Sophie got the impression that Kate only tolerated her because Jonathan wasn’t around. It wasn’t just the thought of losing her job that worried her, she didn’t want to disappoint Kate. Working with her idol, despite the difficult circumstances, was a dream come true. She was already learning so much. The chance of losing that, and never seeing Kate again, was a bitter pill to swallow.

  “That’s up to you,” Jonathan said. “You’re newly single now. Just see where things take you, there’s no rush. But don’t let anyone take advantage of you. If you don’t want to go for drinks with someone, then don’t. Think of this as a new beginning. The new Sophie Young.”

  Sophie felt a smile on her lips. “Yeah, the new Sophie Young. I think I like the sound of that.”

  Chapter 16

  “Thank you,” Georgina said as Michael placed a glass of wine in front of her.

  He took a seat opposite her and set his beer down on the table.

  “So,” he started. “How long do you think we’re going to be here?”

  Georgina rolled her eyes and shook her head. She looked around the pub. It was located in between the Red Door offices and their hotel: close enough to be convenient, but far enough away that they were unlikely to see any of the Red Door staff.

  While the hotel was wonderful, it wasn’t the place to have a conversation. Especially when that conversation included sensitive information about stealing business from competitors. Especially since the hotel had been booked by the competitor in question. Walls had ears.